Reporting that the slowdown in Russia’s economy has been greater than feared, with GDP data showing that the Russian economy grew at just 3.4% in 2012, Here is quoted Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as calling for a change in Russia’s economic model. Noting that “the potential of development in the framework of a traditional export-oriented model has been practically exhausted,” Medvedev has said that the government should diversify Russia’s economy away from the natural resources and towards high-tech manufacturing and services, making use of its highly-skilled workforce.